Cook Stars for RAM Motorsport at AGP

Dean Cook has started his 2023 campaign as part of the RAM Motorsport family on a high note, finishing third overall for the weekend in the Pro-Am class in Round 1 at the Australian Grand Prix.

After qualifying second in class, Cook was thankfully not involved in the incident that saw Race 1 declared a non-event – a high-speed crash involving Indiran Padayachee and Danny Stutterd.

In a wet Race 2, Cook fell to the tail of the field due to a problem off the start line, but recovered to finish fourth. He worked his way up to second in Race 3, to finish third on points for the round.

“It’s a good start to the season, we’ve scored plenty of points and we’re right in the game,” Cook said.

“Race 2 didn’t quite go according to plan but I worked my way back to a decent result, and our speed in Race 3 was good.”

It was a tougher weekend for the RAM Motorsport Pro class entry of Dylan O’Keeffe, which finished down the order in Race 2 due to a handling imbalance and puncture, before salvaging 11th in Race 3.

“Overall, it wasn’t the weekend we were looking for to start the season, but we showed our potential at the end,” O’Keeffe said.

“When we realised it was going to rain for Race 2, we made some changes to the car for the wet conditions, but the adjustments didn’t end up giving me the grip I needed and I really struggled. Ultimately, the puncture put us out of the game altogether.

“The car was much, much better in Race 3 – it was really hooked up and I was having a lot of fun passing cars. Unfortunately, it finished under Safety Car because of a late shower of rain – if it had stayed green, I could have gained a couple more places.”

The next Carrera Cup round takes place at Hidden Valley, 16-18 June, but RAM Motorsport will be back on track next weekend running in both the opening round of GT World Challenge Australia and the Bathurst 6 Hour.

Carrera Cup Pro Class – Top 10 Points

1. Jackson Walls – 114

2. Max Vidau – 114

3. Callum Hedge- 97

4. Dale Wood – 78

5. Nick McBride – 74

6. David Russell – 68

7. Angelo Mouzouris – 58

8. Bayley Hall – 52

9. Alex Davison – 46

10. Garnet Patterson – 38

13. Dylan O’Keeffe – 25

Carrera Cup Am Class – Top 5 Points

1. Adrian Flack – 121

2. Rodney Jane – 102

3. Dean Cook – 96

4. Matt Belford – 84

5. Sam Shahin – 78